Lyn, as she prefers to be called, was born on 4 April 1937, in Boulder City, as it was called then, in a little private maternity hospital at the end of Burt Street. Her parents, Wilfrid and Dorothea (nee Coyte) were married in 1934 having purchased their own home at 59 Porter St, Kalgoorlie. Her siblings, Annette Joy, and Ian Arthur were born in 1942 and 1944.

Lyn’s mother was also born in Boulder, her father having come from Ballarat to the Eastern Goldfields to work as a metallurgist in the mines. Lyn’s father was born in Norfolk, England, the family migrating to Western Australia when Wilf was about four.

Lyn was educated at Kalgoorlie Central School and Eastern Goldfields High School, before attending Claremont Teachers College and WA University to train for teaching. Her first teaching appointment was to Esperance, a very isolated community at that time, but developing in her second year, through American interests, initially the Linkletter Syndicate. Another year was spent teaching at Bullsbrook District High School, before joining the Guidance and Special Branch.

After a few weeks at the branch headquarters in Subiaco, Lyn began a two -year stint in country schools, travelling from district to district. Main tasks were group testing and vocational guidance, individual testing and reporting to teachers and parents of students with learning problems.

Continuing University studies were difficult in the country, and it wasn’t until Lyn obtained an appointment in Scarborough, and then Midland, that she was able to do so successfully. Promotion as Senior Guidance Officer, South-West Region was obtained, commencing in 1971. Starting in an office at Adam Road Primary School, Bunbury, with one other Guidance Officer and Clerical Assistant, service was offered to all government and independent schools in the region. Gradually staffing improved over the years with some Guidance Officers being stationed in the major high schools and visiting the surrounding area schools.

Bunbury offices changed from Adam Road to Constitution Street along with the Special Education Resource Centre, then to Craig House, with the addition of PEAC classes, and finally into the Bunbury Tower with the whole Regional Education Office staff. The name Guidance Officer changed to School Psychologist, which also required Registration with Australian Psychological Society. Then the term Student Services introduced other staff such as Teacher Counsellors Aboriginal Liaison Officers, a Remedial Teacher and a Truant Officer.

Lyn retired in 1993 but continued to live in Bunbury, having jointly built a duplex with the Middleton Family, Patsy Middleton’s friendship having developed as she worked as Clerical Assistant for Student Services over a number of years. Lyn managed to travel widely over the years, and her main interest was researching family history. During retirement she re- established connections with the Uniting Church, and in 1994 was encouraged to begin Co-ordination of the Bunbury Oral History Group.

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